1
The New Ecclesiastical Year Begins September 1st
VOLUME 25
NUMBER 9
September 2016
Dearest Spiritual Ohana,
On September 1st, we begin the New Ecclesiastical Year.
We must wonder why we celebrate this new beginning on
this appointed day. Vincent Gabriel answers this question
most adequately in a “blog” from Ancient Faith Radio
entitled “Why Orthodox Christians Celebrate the New
Year on the First of September.” I invite you to visit the
website to read the complete article. The link to the
website is as follows: “https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/
onbehalfofall/why-orthodox-christians-celebrate-the-new-
year-on-the-first-of-september/.” I will offer only some
of the main points.
The main points of the blog are as follows:
I. So This is the New Year?
C The old Roman term for this day is Indictio, meaning
“definition” or “order.” This was a day established
as the beginning of a fifteen year cycle, marking the
redefinition of tax obligations for Roman citizens
(especially since Roman soldiers served fifteen-year
terms), likely from the time of Caesar Augustus.
C One of the Emperor St. Justinian’s novellas (AD
537) decreed that all official documents of the
Empire should include the indiction reference. When
attempting to date manuscripts from this era, it can
be helpful to know the year of the indiction (1–15),
as exact dates or years are less commonly found.
And when a date is found, it usually corresponds
to Anno Mundi(Hebrew: לבריאת העולם ) or “the year
of the world” since the date of Creation.
C Anno Mundi (AM) served as the beginning point for
calendars until the modern era in many parts of the
world, and is still a liturgical point of reference for
both modern Judaism and Christians. (Jews also
mark the New Year in September, but on a floating
date.)
C The date of the creation of the world—as
discerned by a literal reading of the Patriarchal
histories of the Greek Septuagint—was determined
to be around 5500 BC on our modern calendar, with
variations here and there. On the Julian calendar, the
date of creation was said to be September 1, 5509
(BC), with the birth of Jesus Christ taking place in
5509 AM–that is, 5,509 years from the foundation of
the world.
II. Harvest, Thanksgiving, and Sowing
C By marking the start of a new year in September, the
Empire—and later, the Orthodox Church—was
associating the new year with harvesting crops. As
preparations for winter were being made, so too
were preparations for the upcoming year.
C For Christians, it was a time of thanksgiving,
remembering the good weather and abundant rain
the Lord provided for that year’s harvest—
something we pray for at every Divine Liturgy.
C This draws close parallels with the Feast of
Trumpets for the pre-Incarnation people of
God (Lev. 23:23–25)
III. Ecological Stewardship
C The Ecclesiastical New Year is now a day marked
by prayers for the care of the environment. (Please
(Continued on page 2)
2
see references in the entire blog regarding references
to our former Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios and
present Patriarch Bartholomew)
C The beginning of the New Year was for centuries a
commemoration of the foundation of the world (Anno
Mundi). It is a day for giving thanks to God for
plentiful harvest. It is a day that recognizes God’s
protection over and providence for the world, along
with our responsibility and stewardship towards the
same.
C This all goes back naturally to the story of Creation
itself, and a story where mankind—represented by
Adam and Eve—is given the awesome responsibility
of caring for every living creature. A restoration of
peace between mankind and the created order lies at
the heart of redemption and deification, and that is
ultimately what the Ecclesiastical New Year is all
about.
Here is what the celebration of the Ecclesiastical New
Year is in a “nutshell.” In Vincent Gabriel’s conclusion to
the blog, he writes:
“Our Church Year begins and ends with the life of Mary.
The Nativity of Mary is the first Great Feast of the year,
while her Dormition or “falling asleep” is the last.
In this cycle we see the Incarnation of the God-Man
Jesus Christ at the heart of our story as God’s people. And
in between those two reference points we have this feast
that could, at first glance, seem a peculiar or even
irrelevant holdover from the Roman Empire.
Rather, the Ecclesiastical New Year serves as the crux
for our entire liturgical life each and every year.
We say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. We give
thanks for what the Lord has done, and petition his loving-
kindness and protection for the days yet to come. We take a
moment to consider our impact on the world around us,
and whether our actions proceed from hearts of selfishness
or hearts of compassion.
This is a feast day that points to the very core of Christ’s
message of true, Christian spirituality: prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving. Prayers for blessings seen and unseen, fasting
for the sake of the world and our own mortification, and
almsgiving for the care of others. Self-sacrifice and
promise, beauty and self-restraint.
So pop open a bottle of champagne and bring your
petitions to the Lord. It’s the start of a new year.”
I pray that this information is helpful in your
understanding of this Great Feast celebrated on September
1st. I wish all of you a Most Blessed and Prosperous
Beginning!
With Love in Christ,
+Fr. Alexander
(Continued from page 1)
Shorelines is published Monthly by:
Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox
Cathedral of the Pacific 930 Lunalilo Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Phone : (808) 521-7220
Fax : (808) 523-0429 E-Mail:
[email protected]; [email protected]
[email protected] Parish Web Site:
www.greekorthodoxhawaii.org/
Regular Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday thru Friday
Rev. Father Alexander Leong
Church Staff Amanda Jackson - Office Coordinator
Erica Jansen - Bookkeeper
2016 Parish Council Maria Naval - President
Andrew Tujios - Vice President Roni Katsikas - Treasurer
Christina Dimitrion - Secretary Dr. Michael Dimitrion, Cleopatra
Kritikos, Nicholas Kyriakakis, Regina Mass & Austin Vali.
Sunday School Director Presbytera Nicole Leong
Sunday School Teachers Alice Malick, Greg Malick, Maria Naval, George Kalantzis, Shawn Chu, Dimitri
Nicholas, Mindy Scordilis & Jeanie Stavrue Pe’ahi
Philoptochos Board Alma Chu, President; Anita Akel, Vice
President; Marina Saikevych,Treasurer; Alice Malick,Recording Secretary;
Valentina Yarovaya, Corr. Secretary; Harriett Medes, Advisor
Choir-Chanters Orest Saikevych, Music Director
Gregory Malick, Protopsaltis
Parish Ministries Stelio Scordilis, Aloha Youth Choir; T.B.A., Bookstore; Dianna Graves,
Greek Dance Groups; Stelio Scordilis, Greek School; Julie Ličina Web Master;
Anita Higashi, Facebook
3
WEEKDAY SERVICES IN SEPTEMBER
NATIVITY OF THE THEOTOKOS Thu. 9/8 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30am
GREAT VESPERS Tues. 9/13 6:30pm
ELEVATION OF THE HOLY CROSS Wed. 9/14 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30am
MAUI SERVICES Sat. 9/24 Liturgy 10:00am
Upcoming Opportunities for Worship & Learning
Moms and the Orthodox Family
We are looking forward to starting up our Fellowship, once again, this Fall! But first, we need to know of
anyone interested in joining us, what day and what time would be the best
for us to meet? Please call or see Anita Higashi and or Fr. Alexander
with your suggestions.
Adult Religious Education
Beginning this month, our classes will focus on establishing and maintaining the “small church” in our homes and in our daily lives, “living the liturgy” after the Liturgy on Sunday. Stay tuned for the schedule and further details in your Weekly Bulletin!
SEPTEMBER PARISH COUNCIL TEAMS
4 Maria Naval
11 Michael Dimitrion
18 Nicholas Kyraakakis
25 Regina Mass
Please remember in your prayers: Ted Anastasopoulos
Dina Giannakopoulos
Suzanne Keyser
Julie Licina
Alice Malick
John Mitsis
& All Those Who need our Prayers
LITURGICAL LIFE OF OUR PARISH
4
Share your news! Monthly Bulletin
announcements that you would
like to see in the October issue
of Shorelines should be
submitted to the church office by
September 15th. Email office
@greekorthodoxhawaii.org, call
521-7220, or drop by with a hard
copy of your requested
announcement.
Weekly Bulletin announcements
should be submitted by
Thursday, at Noon, for the
upcoming Sunday.
Maui Orthodox Christian
Mission reminds those who
attend services on Maui to visit
www.mauimission.org or call
617-838-7904 to verify services.
or look for other activities that
may be posted.
LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY
The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, the official
philanthropic organization of the Greek Orthodox Church in
America, was established in November 1931, by the late
Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, who was then serving as
Archbishop of North and South America. The members of the
National Board of Philoptochos are dedicated church women
who offer countless hours to the philanthropic, humanitarian, and
Christian mission of the Church. There are 475 Philoptochos
chapters in the United States. The structure of the Philoptochos
includes the National Board, Metropolitan Boards, and Chapters
in every parish of the Archdiocese.
Please consider being a part of our
Local Philoptochos Ladies Chapter.
See our President Alma Faith Chu
or one of our members for more
information or to join!
= Friend of the Poor
Philoptochos News
5
Christ is in our midst!
I hope you had a nice summer with your
family and friends. For me, the summer break
passed much quicker than I had expected. We
had family visits from Japan (my parents in June
and my sister in July) which kept us busier and
happier spending time with them. Besides, I put
my two younger children into Summer Day
Camp. The program helped us to have a
structured daily schedule through the long 9
weeks of summer break. I find it is better for us
to live with some sort of daily structure while we
have so much free time. Of course, we enjoyed
being more relaxed, sleeping in, going out for
entertainment and having free time. However, a
few or a several weeks are enough to pamper
ourselves. I start feeling “spoiled” after a while.
My older children have been blessed to live
with the Church daily structure during the San
Francisco Metropolis Summer Camp at St.
Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center. (We thank
our Parish Council and all the parishioners who
have supported sending our youth to this special
summer camp). They started their day with
Orthros, before breakfast, and had Vespers
Services before dinner. Through the day, they
learned about God and Orthodoxy with prayers
and fun activities. When my children came back
from the camp, they shared many wonderful
experiences, stories, and what they had learned
with us.
As schools and many work places have a
daily, weekly, monthly, and annual schedules,
our Orthodox Church offers us those as well.
You know examples such as daily prayers,
fasting days/periods, Sunday Liturgy, the
Christmas Season, the Lenten Season etc.. Our
Ecclesiastical New Year starts on September 1st.
(If you wonder why it starts on September, you
can read the following article: “Why Orthodox
Christian Celebrate the New Year on the First of
September,” by Vincent Gabriel, posted on
Ancient Faith Radio Blog, “On Behalf of All.”)
So, I believe it is a very appropriate time for us
to start the New Sunday School Year.
On Sunday, September 4th, Fr. Alex will
bless our Sunday School Students and
Teachers with Holy Water praying for our
children’s spiritual growth. On the same day,
I will have a registration form for parents to
fill out. All children are always welcome to join
in Sunday School. However, we need to collect
these forms from parents. It will help us plan
and coordinate classrooms, lessons, schedules,
and events. So, please plan to come to church to
let your child/children receive the blessing and
sign up on the registration form during the coffee
hour. If you will not be able to come to church
on September 4th, you can email me at:
[email protected] or call Fr. Alex at
(808)521-7220.
In Christ,
Presbytera Nicole
Sunday School Director
6
WE HAD AN AWESOME TIME AT OUR
ANNUAL GREEK FESTIVAL DANCING
THE NISIOTES AND NISIOPEDA.
PRIMARY ELECTION FUNDRAISER FOR
THE DANCE GROUP WAS SATURDAY
AUGUST 13, 2016. WE THANK THE
PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED AND
DONATING THEIR STIPEND TO THE
DANCE GROUP.
IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN
PARTICIPATING IN THE GENERAL
ELECTION FUNDRAISER TUESDAY
NOVEMBER 8, 2016, SEE DIANNA ASAP.
WE CONTINUE OUR HI 5 RECYCLE OF
ALUMINUM CANS, PLASTIC, AND
GLASS, SEE DIANNA FOR TRANSFER OF
RECYCLE FROM YOUR CAR TRUNK TO
HER CAR TRUNK.
WE WELCOME TWO NEW MALE
DANCERS TO THE NISIOTES DANCE
GROUP: CONSTANTINE
PAPZACHARIOUDARIS IS A STUDENT AT
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII FROM
CALIFORNIA.
AND KONSTANDINOS (DINO)
STEPHATOS WHO IS IN THE MILITARY
FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS. OPA
Scheduling an Event?
BEFORE scheduling meetings, parties, or any other event at church–social hall, kitchen, or office rooms, PLEASE be sure to clear your event with the Church Office at least 2 weeks in advance. Doing so will ensure that our facilities are available for all to use, as well as prevent confusion and double-bookings.
Rental forms must be completed by anyone wishing to use our facilities–organization, member or non-member.
Learn Greek In addition to our classes after Sunday School, the
following classes are on Monday Evenings:
Elementary 5 pm, Advanced Youth-Adults 6-8pm
Dance Group News
Thank you very much!
Fr. Alexander expresses his utmost gratitude to
all our dedicated volunteers, in front of and
behind the scenes, for all your hard work and
dedication for a successful 2016 Greek Festival!
7
Each individual/family is requested to sponsor a coffee hour one Sunday per year.
Sign up on the calendar posted outside the Social Hall or contact Suzanne A. or Frances R.
Instructions/tips for sponsoring a coffee hour are available in a 3-ring binder in a cupboard in the hall.
The Ladies of Philoptochos appreciate
any donations of coffee supplies, including paper supplies to help defray some of the coffee hour expenses.
If you are hesitant to prepare and serve a coffee hour
yourself, consider making a monetary donation.
Please do not bring non-Lenten food including cake & ice cream during fasting periods.
C
O
F
F
E
E
H
O
U
R
Thank you to our August Sunday Coffee Hour sponsors!
Harriet & Peter Medes
Valentina Yarovaya Kritikos Family
Parish Council
Our Vision: To be a beacon of Orthodoxy in the Pacific and proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the Orthodox faith
Our Mission: To proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the Orthodox Faith.
To sanctify and minister to the spiritual growth and needs of the faithful through liturgical worship and spiritual programs.
To safeguard and keep the traditions, values, and faith of the Orthodox Church pure and undefiled.
“A steward is one who manages another’s prop-
erty or resources; the Christian, therefore, is a stew-
ard of everything he is and has, including his own
body and soul, for according to the mystery of salva-
tion, we possess nothing from ourselves, not even
our own life and being; all belongs to God and is
given to us by the Father through His Son because of
the richness of His love and mercy.”
~The Theology of Stewardship in Light of
Orthodox Tradition
by Fr. Paul Wesche
“Stewardship is the offering to God as children of
faith rather than as hired servants. Children of God
make offerings to God as expression of authentic
love, whereas, hired servants simply fulfill legalistic
duty. Christian stewardship is a manifestation of our
love for God through the holistic offering of time,
talent, and treasure to Him, through Christ’s Holy
Church. By this offering of love to our Father in
heaven, He further extends the healing experience of
His Church to His children, through Her ministry.”
~Fr. Luke Palumbis
Quotes on Stewardship
8
What is Reasonable to Expect of People? An Excerpt from OCA.org
Question What you say sounds super-human. Is it really reasonable to expect the people to do it?
Indeed, who can do it?
Answer The question about who can do it was asked a long time ago. St. Peter asked it of Christ
when he was listening to His teachings. The answer of Christ was conclusive: “With men
these things are impossible. But with God all things are possible.”
This is the point. Christian morality is, strictly speaking, not a human morality designed
for the happy life in this world. Christian morality is the morality of perfection. “Be per-
fect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” These are the words of Christ in the Sermon on
the Mount.
Such a morality in this world is really open-ended. It is never complete. As a matter of
fact, it is the teaching of the Orthodox Church that man’s life is never complete even in
the Kingdom of God. Man will always be “on the way.” His very perfection, as one saint
put it, is always to grow more perfect.
To be as perfect as God is impossible to men. But to move toward this perfection eter-
nally and forever is within man’s possibilities with the help of God. And this is the life
and the moral position to which Christians are called.
The Church is always ready to forgive the sinner, since Christ is the Head of the
Church and He has come exactly to save sinners. But while condescending to forgive
every sort of sin and weakness and necessity to indulge in relativistic and morally am-
biguous actions (such as warfare and politics and birth control…), the Church cannot
give these actions complete approval and cannot change its gospel which proclaims that
man is created for the Kingdom of God and divine perfection.